Introduction to Medical Terminology

1. Introduction to Medical Terminology Chapter 1

2. WORD PARTS ARE THE KEY!! • Learning medical terminology is much easier once you understand how word parts work together to form medical terms.

3. Three Types of Word Parts: • Word roots: • Contain the basic meaning of the term. They usually, but not always, indicate the body part. • Examples: oste/o, neur/o • They act as the foundation of most medical terms.

4. Suffixes: • Usually, but not always, indicate the procedure, condition, disorder, or disease. A suffix always comes at the end of the word.

5. Prefixes: • Usually, but not always, indicate location, time, number or status. • A prefix always comes at the beginning of a word.

6. So….Word Part Guidelines: • A word root cannot stand alone. A suffix must be added to complete the term. • The rules for use of combining vowels apply when a suffix is added to a word root. • When a prefix is needed, it is always placed at the beginning.

7. Combining Vowels • A combining vowel may be needed between the word root and the suffix to make the medical term easier to pronounce. • The letter “o” is the most commonly used combining vowel.

8. When a word root is shown with a back slash and a combining vowel, such as cardi/o, this format is referred to as the combining form. • So…the word root + the combining vowel = combining form.

9. Rules for Using Combining Vowels: • A combining vowel is used when the suffix begins with a consonant. • Example: when neur/o (nerve) is joined with the suffix –plasty (surgical repair), the combining vowel is used due to the consonant. “Neur/o/plasty”

10. A combining vowel is not used when the suffix begins with a vowel (a,e,i,o,u). • Example: when neur/o (nerve) is combined with the suffix –itis (inflammation), the combining vowel is not used, because the suffix “–itis” begins with a vowel. • Word: neur/itis

11. A combining vowel is always used when two or more word roots are joined. • Example: When gastr/o (stomach) is joined with enter/o (small intestine), the combining vowel is used. “gastr/o/enter/o • But if you add a suffix that starts with a vowel, you will not use it: • Word: gastr/o/enter/itis

12. A prefix does not require a combining vowel. • The prefix is attached directly onto the word root.

13. Word Roots Indicating Color • cyan/o • means “blue” • Example of a word using cyan/o: • cyanosis = a blue discoloration of the skin caused by a lack of adequate oxygen • cyan + -osis (condition of)

14. erythr/o • means “red” • Example of a word using erythr/o: • erythrocytes = red blood cells. Erythr = red + “o” for the combining vowel + cytes (cells).

15. leuk/o • means “white” • Example of a word using leuk/o: • leukocytes = leuk (white) + “o” for the combining vowel + cytes (cells).

16. melan/o • means “black” • Example of a word using melan/o: • melanoma = melan/o + the suffix “-oma” (tumor) • Note: the combining vowel was dropped since the suffix begins with a vowel.

17. poli/o • means “gray” • Example of a word using poli/o: • poliomyelitis – an inflammation of the gray matter of the spinal cord usually causing paralysis. • Poli + “o” + myel/o (spinal cord) + “-itis” (inflammation) • Note: the combining vowel was used to connect the word roots but dropped from myel/o to join it with –itis.

18. Let’s talk about suffixes…. • Suffixes usually, but not always, indicate the procedure, condition, disorder or disease: • Examples: tonsill/o = tonsils. Tonsill + -itis (inflammation) = tonsillitis • Tonsill/o + -ectomy (surgical removal) = tonsillectomy

19. Some suffixes complete the term by changing the word root into an adjective.Many of these suffixes are defined as “pertaining to”. • Most common: -al, -ic, -ac • Examples: cardi/ac, gastr/ic, enter/al.

20. Some suffixes complete the term by changing the word root into a noun. • Example: “-um” is a noun ending. • Crani/um = “crani” means skull, and “-um” is a noun ending. • Cranium is the portion of the skull that surrounds the brain.

21. Some suffixes have a general meaning of “abnormal condition”. • For example, -osis means an abnormal condition. • “Gastrosis” means any abnormal condition of the stomach. • Gastr/o = stomach; -osis = abnormal condition.

22. Pathology means the study of disease and the suffixes related to pathology describe specific disease conditions. • These suffixes will repeat each chapter, so you must learn them in order to build words for each body system.

23. -algia means “pain”. Example: gastr/algia = stomach pain. Note: the combining vowel was not used: suffix starts with vowel • -dynia also means “pain”. Example: gastr/o/dynia = stomach pain. Notice, the combining vowel was used since the suffix begins with a consonant.

24. -itis means “inflammation”. • Example: gastr/itis means inflammation of the stomach. • Note: the combining vowel was dropped from gastr/o since “-itis” begins with a vowel. • Another example we saw in a previous slide: tonsill/itis.

25. -malacia means “abnormal softening.” • Example: crani/o/malacia = abnormal softening of the skull. • crani = skull + “o” + -malacia • Note: the combining vowel was used because the suffix begins with a consonant.

26. -megaly means “enlarged” or enlargement of. • Example: hepat/o/megaly • hepat/o means “liver” • -megaly means “enlarged” • so….hepat/o/megaly means “enlarged liver”. • To make it easy, remember that “mega” means big, large.

27. -necrosis means “tissue death”. • Example: arteri/o/necrosis • means “death of tissue of an artery” • arteri/o = artery; -necrosis = death of tissue • Note: combining vowel was used since the suffix begins with a consonant.

28. -sclerosis means “abnormal hardening” (is the opposite of –malacia). • Example: arteri/o/sclerosis • means “abnormal hardening of the arteries” • Note: combining vowel was used since the suffix begins with a consonant.

29. -stenosis means “abnormal narrowing” • Example: arteri/o/stenosis means “abnormal narrowing of the arteries” • arteri/o = arteries; -stenosis = abnormal hardening. • Note: combining vowel was used. Why?

30. Some suffixes identify a procedure that is performed on the body part identified by the word part. • Again, these suffixes are the building blocks for word used in each of the chapters, so learn them as quickly as possible.

31. -centesis means “surgical puncture to remove fluid”. • Example: abdomin/o/centesis • Means “a surgical puncture of the abdominal cavity to remove fluid.” • abdomin/o = abdomen; -centesis = surgical puncture.

32. -ectomy means “surgical removal of”. • Example: tonsill/ectomy = surgical removal of tonsils. • append/ectomy = surgical removal of the appendix. • The combining vowel would never be used with –ectomy since it starts with a vowel.

33. -graphy means “the process of recording a picture or record.” • Example: mamm/o/graphy = the process of taking a picture (x-ray) of the breast. • -gram means “the picture or record itself”. • Example: mamm/o/gram = the picture (x-ray) of the breast.

34. -ostomy means “to surgically create an artificial opening”. • Example: col/ostomy = the surgical creation of an opening between the colon and the body surface. Col/o = colon. • To remember this suffix, think of “os” as a word that means “opening”.

35. -otomy means “surgical incision, or cutting into”. • Example: col/otomy = surgical incision into the colon. • Splen/otomy = surgical incision into the spleen. • Arteri/otomy = surgical incision into an artery.

36. -plasty means “surgical repair”. • Example:my/o/plasty = surgical repair of a muscle. • my/o = muscle; -plasty = surgical repair. • abdomin/o/plasty = surgical repair of the abdomen.

37. -scopy means “visual examination of a body cavity or organ by use of a scope” • Example: arthr/o/scopy • Means visual examination of a joint using a scope. • arthr/o = joint; -scopy = using a scope for visual examination.

38. The Double RRs • Suffixes beginning with two Rs are particularly confusing. • -rrhage and –rrhagia = abnormal excessive fluid discharge or bleeding. • Example: hem/o/rrhage is the loss of a large amount of blood in a short time.

39. -rrhaphy means “to suture or stitch”. • Example: my/o/rrhaphy = suture a muscle. • my/o = muscle; -rrhaphy = suture. • To remember this suffix, think of r-r-wrap as if you were going to wrap the injury in sutures.

40. -rrhea means “an abnormal flow or discharge”. Refers to the abnormal flow of most body fluids. • Example: diarrhea = abnormally frequent loose or watery stools. • Dia- means “through”, and –rrhea means “abnormal flow”.

41. -rrhexis means “rupture.” • Example: my/o/rrhexis = rupture of a muscle. • My/o = muscle; -rrhexis = rupture. • To remember this suffix, think of the x as being ready to rupture and fly apart.

42. Suffixes relating to “study” • -ology means “the study of”. • Example: neur/ology is the study of the nerves. • Cardi/ology is the study of the heart.

43. -ologist means “the specialist who studies”. • Example: neur/ologist = specialist who studies nerves. • Cardi/ologist = specialist who studies the heart. • Hepat/ologist = specialist who studies the liver.

44. Now, let’s look at prefixes…. • A prefix is added to the beginning of a word to change the meaning of that term. • Prefixes usually, but not always, indicate location, time, or number.

45. Common Prefixes: • pre- means “before”. • Example: pre/natal = before birth • post- means “after”. • Example: post/natal = after the birth.

46. dys- means “bad, difficult, or painful”. • Example: dys/uria = difficult or painful urination. • eu- means good, normal, well, or easy. The opposite of dys-. • Example: eu/thyroid = a normally functioning thyroid gland.

47. hyper- means “excessive or increased”. • Example: hyper/tension means higher than normal blood pressure. • hypo- means “deficient or decreased”. Opposite of hyper-. • Example: hypo/tension is lower than normal blood pressure.

48. inter- means “between or among”. • Example: inter/costal means between the ribs (cost/o = ribs). • intra- means within or inside. • Example: intra/muscular means within the muscle.

49. sub- means “under, less, or below”. • Example: sub/costal = below the ribs. • supra- means “above or excessive”. Opposite of sub-. • Example: supra/costal = above or outside the ribs.

50. Determining Meanings on the Basis of Word Parts • To determine a word’s meaning by looking at the component pieces, you must first separate it into word parts. • You can do this by using slash marks (/) to separate them. • Example: tonsill/ectomy